


Souls Of The Deep

by Shadokin



Category: The 100 (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Fix-It, Gen, Gender Exploration, Multi, Other, POV Alternating, Polyamory, Rating May Change, Retelling, Slow Burn
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-03-25
Updated: 2017-06-29
Packaged: 2018-10-10 12:42:49
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 4
Words: 6,429
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10437987
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Shadokin/pseuds/Shadokin
Summary: Octavia Blake discovers life out of prison for the first time, and tries to balance her newfound freedom with her overprotective brother.Wells Jaha wants to ensure the safety of the delinquents while pursuing forgiveness from his childhood friend.Monty Green has already accepted his exile from the Ark only to learn his home has taken something even more important away.





	1. Maiden Voyage

**Author's Note:**

> This was originally going to be a fic that never made it, but then a certain thing happened in the source material, and then another thing happened, and I got motivated to pour actual time and effort into this. So it's been worked on (still being worked on) for over a year, and I finally wanted to share what I've done so far. 
> 
> There will be some key differences with some plot and characters (example: how long the Ark's been in space) so those aren't typos in the text (unless they are?? in which case lemme know?). 
> 
> Each chapter will be a singular POV. Further on a few more character's will be added to the roster. I picked this 'improbable trio' as it were to start because they're characters I'm really interested in individually and as a group. Hopefully I do them justice. 
> 
> Also huge shoutout to [ Briana](http://archiveofourown.org/users/explosionshark) and [ Kaelin](http://archiveofourown.org/users/TippyTypewriter) for supporting me and listening to me ramble about ideas and help me think thoughts through to make them sound better. Both are also brilliant writers of their own and you should definitely check them both out!

* * *

 

A gust of wind swept through the dropship. The door touched the ground and settled into quiet. Octavia watched the world unveil to her, the light from the sun casting brightness over the spot they had landed.

She walked down the ramp, metal under her feet and sky above her head. The others behind her were quiet and still and watching with baited breath.

The air smelled real. Realer than anything she had ever smelled on the Ark. Octavia stood at the edge of the ramp, the last threshold to freedom at her feet.

Unceremoniously she stepped to the other side, and at once the 17 yearlong tension vanished from within her.

She looked upwards, eyes on the blue bleeding through the trees, taller than anything she had ever known.

“This is it.” She said to herself, a whisper that anyone could hear. She breathed in, and the oxygen rich air sent her nerves electric. After her whole life locked up, never able to speak, to make noise, and she felt the need of it rise so quickly through her, and there was nothing to hold it back.

Octavia opened her mouth and hollered. The loudest cry of joy she could muster. And the best part was knowing she couldn’t fill the space. It was endless, an outstretched horizon that was too far away to hear her.

The feeling was contagious. The rest of the hundred began to funnel out of the dropship, a good many whooping and yelling like Octavia had. The area filled with noise, laughter erupting through them quickly. They were all prisoners not five minutes ago, and now they had a whole planet to themselves.

Someone’s shoulder hit against hers, forcing Octavia to take a step back.

It was a boy named Finn, or as the others on the dropship called him, the spacewalker. Blowing through months of oxygen reserves to take an unscheduled walk outside the Ark.

There was a smirk on his face as he looked at her. Excitement shivered her arms and through her spine, but his face also jostled her mind on what happened on the descent down.

He had taken his seatbelt off during the fall to Earth, floating over everyone else. One of the prisoners had yelled at him about the dangers as they approached the atmosphere. Gravity. But his display convinced others to follow his lead. And then the dropship hit into the atmosphere.

Octavia made her way back to dropship’s entrance. It stood as an empty shell now, the only reminder left of where they had come from. The heat of the sun was kind though, and the wind blowing by was welcoming; Octavia didn’t actually want to step back inside. But curiosity won out: she needed to know what happened to them. 

The inside, as large as it was, felt confiding. Octavia looked up the ladder leading to the other floors. She heard murmurings from above. Grabbing the first bar she climbed up to the next floor.

At the top, Octavia was faced with a couple of not so unfamiliar faces. It wasn’t the kids who had followed after the spacewalker. One was the prisoner who had yelled at him for what he was doing, the other was the person seated between Octavia and the first person.

She only just learned their faces, but the other prisoners had called them by name during the descent. The prince and princess of the Ark. Names her brother had mentioned to her a few times before.

Octavia felt distaste fill her gut at the sight of them. People like them were why she was there in the first place. And yet she was here, and they were here, and she might as well ask.

“The kids from before,” She started, and the pair snapped their eyes to her. “Are they dead?”

“Yeah.” Clarke said. The princess pushed a strand of her blond hair that wasn’t held in her ponytail behind her ear. “It’s a good thing more didn’t follow them. They—”

“They were following the spacewalker, he’s the one—”

“I _know_ , Wells.”

Octavia didn’t know what she interrupted before coming up here. She scanned around the room quickly, catching sight of a boot peeking out from one of the rows of seats the hundred had been in. The desire to check on them herself diminished right there, and she looked back to Clarke and Wells.

“Do we know who they are?” Octavia asked, feeling odd about grouping herself with these two. Clarke’s lips parted in a silent answer. Wells tensed and the both of them shared a look. They were as clueless as her, and Octavia didn’t know what to say after that.

They stood there, silent as she looked around, the bodies of the kids just out of sight, the walls of the dropship holding her close, _them_ , and it was becoming too much. She ducked back down to the ladder and made her way back to Earth, the ground, the fresh air…

 “What were you doing?”

Bellamy’s voice had her turning around faster than anything could. A stern expression covered her brother’s face, eyes narrowed at her in judgement.

“What?” She asked, confused. Bellamy nodded towards the dropship. He had seen her go back inside. His whole body was rigid, which instinctively set Octavia on edge.

“Uh, there were these kids from before, they unbuckled after one of the prisoners had.” She told him. “I wanted to see if they were okay.”

“And?”

“They’re dead.” She didn’t know what the words sounded like coming out of her mouth. “The uh, chancellor’s son and… the princess, they checked.”

Bellamy’s eyes flashed, and the first thought was that she did something wrong, broke some rule about human interaction she knew nothing about. She didn’t know how to talk with people, not when they _weren’t_ Bellamy.

“You shouldn’t be talking with them.” He said, the same tone he used with Octavia when she wanted to leave the only room she’d ever known. There was no fighting him then, but now they were on Earth.

“Why? They’re down here like the rest of us.”

“Okay, but they’re _not_ like the rest of us. For all we know they volunteered for this little trip.”

Octavia paused, unsure of what to say. She had no idea if he was right, didn’t know what it meant.

“O,” Bellamy’s looked changed, became softer and Octavia felt herself relax. “Look, it’d be best if you stayed away from them.”

He said it with concern for her. Octavia scrunched her eyes, but the will to argue wasn’t there anymore.

She deflated, “Fine. It’s a good thing we have an entire planet then. I’ll just head over to the other side.”

“Hey, wait.” She was already walking when Bellamy’s hand went to her arm. He released her right away, seeming desperate as he looked her over. “Be careful. Okay?”

His voice was quiet but firm. Octavia remembered the last time she saw her brother, longer than a year ago. The expression on his face hadn’t changed since then. He still wanted to be the big brother, keep her in sight and make sure she was okay.

For a moment there was a confusing flame of frustration ignited just under her skin. He was saying the same things as always, but it was Bellamy, and despite it all she was happy he was there with her. She nodded at him. The least she could do was try.

The rest of the hundred were spreading out still, forming patches of small groups with bigger steps between them. No one was leaving the immediate area, sticking to the familiar. There was a clear outline in the ground where the dropship had landed, and it felt like the trees encircled them perfectly. They were specks of faded and worn clothing amidst the untamed wild.

Everything outside and around them was green. The leaves of the trees were green, the bushes were green, even the trunks of every tree were covered in green vines, leaves, and moss. Octavia felt blinded just looking at it, but she dared not turn away.

She walked on towards the edge, feeling winded already but adrenaline kept her going. There was an uneven feel to the ground under her feet, but she balanced well enough on it. Several others turned as she passed them by, but no one said anything to her.

It would change soon enough, she was sure. For now she was grateful for the blessing.

There were hills beyond the initial line of sight, going higher up and farther down. More trees and bushes in every direction, an endless green. Octavia stopped beside one of the trees, looking over the trunk before placing her hand against it. She let her palm run over the soft moss and the hard texture of the bark.

Behind her rose chatter from the delinquents. Before her, the silence of the world. And on her face a smile made its way. Here, she was finally home.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This took a long while to do and it would be awesome to hear what people think on this. The concept, the character focus, the way I wrote it out... let me know what you think one way or another and thank you for stopping by!


	2. Down to Earth

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> second chapter in as many days. my updating will not always be this quick but I really didn't want the first chapter to sit by itself. I will do a final cleanup of chapter 3 and hopefully have it up by tomorrow. Hopefully. Until then, enjoy

* * *

 

Clarke had walked out of the dropship without him. It was better this way, but the pain of rejection still stung. Wells felt for the metal bracelet on his wrist, rubbing his hand against its smooth surface.

They had made it to Earth. _He_ had made it to Earth. The next step was… Wells looked above him. They needed to establish communication to the Ark. The screen on the wall—the one the Chancellor had announced their mission to the ground from—looked undamaged, but when he tried to turn it on nothing responded.

He went on up to the third level. There was supposed to be an emergency communications system separate from the dropship’s that could be hooked up to reach the Ark. Wells pulled a sealed crate out from its hiding spot only to find all the equipment cracked inside. It was old of course, so there was no guarantee how well it would hold up, but he still cursed the Ark for not sending down better supplies.

He thrusted the crate away, its shell banging into the wall. Wells wiped his hands over his head, heart beating a little faster. This had been one of the many possibilities he was aware of could happen. It wasn’t time to worry yet.

“The panels up top are wrecked,” He told Clarke nearly an hour later when she reappeared, walking back to the dropship. “Some probably ripped off during the descent, and the wires are all fried on what’s left. There’s no way we can talk with the Ark.”

Clarke stared at him, brows furrowed, map rolled up in her hands. She stood there, not looking to make more distance between them. Maybe that was how Wells could tell, or maybe it was the way her eyes burned that let him know something was wrong.

“What it is?”

She showed him the map, laying it out on the ramp. “This is where we need to go,” She pointed to a _Mount Weather_ on the map, “This is where we are.” Her finger moved a few inches to the left.

“That’s 20 miles.”

“Yeah.”

He leaned over, brushing his fingers between the two points. Mount Weather was where they were supposed to land. It had the supplies they needed to survive the ground. Food, medicine, clothing… and instead they were on another mountain, and between them and Mount Weather was a stretch of forest swimming with radiation.

“We have to get there.” Wells said, the words quick out of his mouth. He had half expected to die before the dropship reached the ground. And now self-preservation was kicking in. 

“Get where?

Two kids came walking up. One was tall and scruffy, goggles hanging around his neck, the other short and wearing about three thin shirts over each other, an old winter ear hat practically glued to his head.

“I’m Jasper,” The tall one said. “Monty.” Said the other. They came to a stop before Wells and Clarke. “So, where are we going?”

“Uh,” Clarke said, “Mount Weather.” She told them, surprise in her face but unwilling to let the opportunity to spread the situation slip away. She explained to the two: Monty agreeing to help get to the mountain, his smile too bright to understand the severity of the situation, and Jasper with a sloping mouth and half listening, his smile reflecting Monty’s. Innocence graced their eyes, more so than the others Wells had seen.

He felt shame in his chest then. He wasn’t responsible for them being here, but he felt it all the same. Whatever got them locked up before, they looked innocent and carefree now. Perhaps it was just the freedom of being alive and away from the Ark.

His father was still up there.

Clarke looked bolstered by the support from Monty and Jasper. Wells locked his eyes on Clarke, his unease at her confidence a weird feeling settling on him. He tried to follow after her, in hopes that as she, as _they_ , addressed the camp he would understand her stride. It felt hopeless, convincing everyone that they needed to go didn’t seem possible. But it was their only course of action.

Hardly anyone paid attention, ignoring the idea of leaving the immediate area. A few turned their heads, perhaps to hear them out, but then a voice spoke—Bellamy Blake—who refused on account of who Wells was, and who Clarke was. The privileged class of the Ark. Those whose families belonged to the hierarchy.

Wells stopped talking. Of course they wouldn’t listen to him, even if he was in the same boat. His father was the one that sent them all down here. How many had lost fathers because of his own? Mothers? And how many didn’t do enough to justify their life being forfeit?

Clarke tried, her heart in the right place. Raising her voice to be heard above the others, wanting them to ignore her status and listen to reason. It didn’t work, of course it didn’t work, and Wells could see it so easily. Even Monty and Jasper looked doubtful now, shifting where they stood, trying to appear smaller than they were.

As quickly as the meeting of the hundred started, it dispersed.

“What’s the plan?” Wells asked, arms crossed over his chest as he focused back on Clarke. That’s what she needed from him, if no one else. Someone that would listen.

“We still have to get to Mount Weather,” Clarke said, worry drawn at the corners of her eyes. “We’ll bring back what we can. It should motivate the others to help once they see the supplies.”

“We might get there before dark, but what about getting back?” Wells asked. “I don’t think we should be traveling at night.”

Clarke threw a hard look his way, reminding him that she didn’t care what he thought. Wells straightened his stance, trying not to look like she had hurt him. He reminded himself that it wasn’t what he said, it was him.

“So we stay at Mount Weather for the night. It should be safe there.” Monty said, and Wells figured he had noticed the rigidity between them. “If it has food that’s lasted nuclear radiation, I’m willing to bet on it.”

Clarke said nothing, looking from Wells over to Monty and nodding.

“Then it’s settled.”

“Not yet. Add two more to your little trip.”

Finn and Octavia walked up. The spacewalker and the forbidden child. Wells didn’t even bother to think why they were together.

“The more the merrier.” Jasper said.

“What about your brother? He’s not coming?” Wells asked, searching past them for signs of Bellamy.

Octavia looked offended by the question, though Wells didn’t know why. Bellamy was the loudest protestor about heading to Mount Weather, and he had also made it pretty well known that Octavia was the reason he was here—he had dressed up as a guard and stowed away into the dropship before launch. With that in mind, it seemed weird for brother and sister to split up.

“Don’t worry about it.” Octavia said, dismissing him with a scowl. He instinctively looked over to Clarke for reassurance.

 “This is going to be an overnight trip.” Clarke offered. “Invite him along or don’t, but at least let him know so he won’t worry.”

Octavia didn’t roll her eyes like Wells nearly expected, giving the smallest nod to show she understood.

“Be right back.”

She walked off and Wells looked across at Clarke.

“Thanks.” He said, ignoring the regret in his chest at how little Clarke seemed to care about his gratitude. It wasn’t about him, he tried to remember.

“Yeah,” She said, voice locked and guarded. “We can’t have him starting a riot because he thinks his sister’s lost in the woods.”

They wait for Octavia to return. Bellamy wasn’t with her, though Wells could see him watching from a distance. The look on his face when he saw Wells told him he didn’t like letting his sister going without him. But when he looked to his sister, there was a clear flash of worry in his eyes. Fear that he might not see her again.

“Okay, let’s get going.” Clarke said, taking the lead of their company, and like that they were off.

Each step was terrifying, heading outside the camp and setting out to the forest. A place where they had nothing but theoretical knowledge of how it was all supposed to work. But entering that space gave a new perspective. Living on the Ark was restrictive in a way Wells could never understand before. Now the sky was a ceiling raised infinitely high, and with it his hope. They could do this. They could survive down here. Build a new life. The possibilities were endless.

The group walked in a disorganized shuffle among the trees. Clarke trailed up front, the unassigned leader taking them on the path to Mount Weather. Her steps where long and consistent. Wells kept pace, knowing in the back of his mind they were all going to feel like shit tomorrow from the walk.

Beside him was Octavia. He glanced over, taking in the healthy glow of her hair and her sturdy frame. If nothing else, she didn’t look worse than any of the other prisoners. His mind immediately thought about what it took to take care of someone for 16 years without anyone knowing. The rationing alone must’ve been hell. Giving her food, clothes, making sure she had somewhere to sleep, water to clean with, all while making sure you stayed alive too. It sounded impossible, yet here she was.

“Hey, you okay?” He drew a step closer to Octavia. She had the worst of it, he figured, trying to keep her face stoic as she trudged on with the rest of them.

“I’m fine.” Octavia said, a mix between anger at being asked and desperation that her struggle was noticed.

Wells frowned. He already carried the weight of Clarke hating him, and hearing the heat in the voice of the closet person to a stranger hurt more than it should’ve.

“You’re dragging your feet.” He pointed out.

“What?” She faltered before finally looking to Wells.

“Just trying to help,” He followed quickly. “Pick up your legs higher when you walk and you’ll cover more distance in less steps.”

He tried to give her a smile and she glared, but the next step she took was farther from the last, knees lifting higher than before. Wells diverted his eyes down and kept his smile to himself.  

“So what did the son of the Chancellor have to do to get sent down here with the rest of us criminals?” Octavia asked, and Wells lost his smile. The others were all looking at him now. Clarke was looking at him. He gulped, his neck growing hot.

“I uh, damaged the last tree.”

“Oh tell me you didn’t do that in front of Vera.” Monty plead dramatically from behind him.

“You didn’t kill it, did you?” Jasper followed up, sounding mildly offended himself, “That thing’s been alive longer than we’ve been in space.”

“No, I just… does it matter?” Wells asked, “The Eden Tree’s fine. I just broke off a branch.”

“I’m sorry, they locked you up for breaking a branch?” Finn chimed in, and Wells threw him a hard look.

“A crime’s a crime, right?” He said in defeat, and the conversation dropped. He didn’t owe anyone an explanation. Instead, the topic of what they might find at Mount Weather took hold. Finn talked about having a mirror that wasn’t broken, Monty was hoping to find a stash of old board games, Jasper wanted a tuxedo, and Octavia just wanted working showers.

Clarke was quiet the entire time.

“Bright side?” Finn began, breathless as they started up a hill, “At least we only landed 20 miles away, and not 200.”

They still had plenty of daylight to spare. Wells followed along the group, stopping short when he felt a tug at his back. It was Octavia, having grabbed his jacket to stop from falling over.

“You okay?” He asked in a low voice so the others wouldn’t overhear. Octavia nodded mutely, letting go after Wells helped her step ahead of him onto flatter ground. She glanced back and gave him a brief smile, and Wells watched her walk on. Not a moment later he took his eyes off her and his whole body tensed up, catching Clarke at the top of the hill, looking over her shoulder at him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> feedback would be lovely. questions, criticism, have at it.


	3. Floating

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> and with this chapter we have the first set of POVs established. it'll be this way for a while, where i'm at in rough drafts I still haven't gotten that far.

* * *

 

The river before them didn’t exist. Not according to the map at least. Monty hardly cared, he’d never _seen_ a river before. He was convinced before either Octavia or Finn could suggest they stop a while and take a swim. Only Clarke resisted the idea, but unfortunately for her, none of them cared.

The air by the river smelled different than the forest. Soaked minerals and a crisp taste Monty could feel on his tongue without opening his mouth. It gave him a different kind of high than he was used to. He checked on Jasper, wondering if nature was setting his nerves aflame too.

Octavia was the first into the water, ready to take another title for humanity in over 300 years. The first human to step on the ground, the first human in the water. Monty wondered if it was intentional.

Octavia was in nothing but an undershirt and briefs, unashamed as she went further into the water. None of them could swim of course, but the water went up to Octavia’s waist and she called at them to follow.

Everyone else was underdressing now, and Jasper nudged Monty in the side.

He had his shirt off in seconds, cheeks flushed while Jasper whistled beside him. Finn was at the edge of the river, taking his time and making eyes at Octavia as he removed his clothes.

“…I should stand guard…” Monty caught as he went by Wells and Clarke, the latter losing her smile but still nodding and saying “okay” back.

The edge of the river was muddy and embedded with small rocks. Monty moved to sit on a boulder perched on the line between the ground and the river, looking over its edge to gaze at the water’s surface.

“This is so cool.” He said, bending down to dip his hand into it. Jasper gasped as he walked into the river, sharing a smile with Monty. _This was_ so _cool_.

_Especially_ , Monty thought, the bitterness creeping up on him, _since we were sent down here to die._

Before he could process further a hand was on his back and he went over the boulder’s edge. Falling through the water his nose smacked into something hard on the riverbed, but there wasn’t any pain. He could hear the muted voices above grow louder and someone pulled him back up.

Jasper’s hands made their way to Monty’s shoulders, and he was smiling until he saw the blood.

“Hey, you okay?” He asked in quick concern, touching his thumb below Monty’s nostril and wiping the blood away. Monty stood steady now, submerged to his calves and letting Jasper keep him in place. He could see Octavia watching from over Jasper’s shoulder and laughed.

“Yeah, yeah,” Monty said, a minor ache in his nose that was otherwise painless. “Don’t worry, it’s all good.” He turned around to see Finn standing half naked next to the boulder and smiling apologetically at him, “Sorry Monty.”

“That was kind of fun actually.” He said it like he meant it, and he thought he did. Jasper smiled, quick to move on, and water was splashed Monty’s way.

Finn was next in the river, and then Clarke. Monty was too busy seeing who could hold their breath underwater longer contest with Jasper. So far it was a tie.

Laughter soon filled the air. The river felt separate from the rest of the forest, like an invisible island far away from the rest of the delinquents and the dropship they came down on.

Monty ran his arms through the water, enjoying the cool rush over his skin. The Ark didn’t have rivers or pools. There were baths, but that didn’t quite have the same feel as the open water. The thought sunk into him as Jasper’s gasped to his right, breaking back through the surface of the water—he could go swimming here anytime he wanted. This was life now.

“It has to be safe to drink, right?” Jasper asked, drops trailing down his face. He was staring down at the water, lowering close enough that his jaw touched the river. Clarke momentarily paused where she stood.

“It could be toxic…” Wells started, overlooking them from the edge. Finn turned back to face him, his long hair wiping around his cheeks.

“Pretty sure everything here could be toxic. Besides, we’re already swimming in it.” He said, ever grinning before going to cup the water. Finn brought it to his lips and took a drink. Jasper muttered “carpe diem” before doing the same not a second later.

The uncertainty of their question stirred anxiety through Monty’s chest, but otherwise he was relaxed. He leaned back in the river, taking his feet from the ground. The air cooled his chest as he floated. He suppressed a laugh at the thought.

“What’s so funny?”

Monty opened eyes he realized were closed and saw Octavia now practically at his side. The smile was glued to his face while he stared up at her. He could feel himself tilt as he tried to keep his body up.

“No, it’s just…” He fixed himself, and wondered if he should say what he was on his mind, but the words come out before he could think to stop them, “Floating is _nice_.”

The intended joke was clear, and somewhere behind her Monty heard Jasper snorting. Octavia raised a brow but smiled back and Monty let his eyes drift over her.

“Clarke.”

Jasper’s eyes were on Octavia. Monty squinted his own before pulling away, trying to ignore the way his heart smacked into his chest.

“What—Clarke!”

Wells yelled from the bank, but Monty ignored the urgency in his voice. The water below him flowed over his fingers and shoulders. The river itself grew less still then, and Monty felt his body pushed with the current.

“Get out of the water!” Wells continued. Monty’s head jerked up, seeing Wells with eyes locked onto something in the distance. Following his line of sight, he saw the rise in the water.

“Oh shit.” Jasper said. Whatever it was, it was coming at them fast. Monty moved to stand, feet slipping at where the riverbed dipped further down. He tried to pulled himself forward, watching the others splashing back towards the edge of the river.

There was a sharp pain in his leg. His eyes caught Octavia’s, who was only a few feet from him, before being pulled down.

“MON—”

Water replaced air. It pressed into his nostrils and ears. His leg went numb, and his body was pulled further through the river. Everything went slow and still. He saw bubbles leaving his mouth, and yet in that moment he felt calm. The water was cool on his skin, and nothing hurt anymore.

The moment broke. Water was rushing past him as he was pulled through the river, only grabbing scattered gulps of air when he trailed the surface. Monty tried to fend off the creature, but he was too slow underwater, his would be punches only ever grazing the edge of the beast with no strength behind them.

And then it let go. Monty’s head was spinning, somehow breaking back through the surface despite not knowing which way was up. He coughed up water, blinking through drops on his eyelashes as he looked to the shore. The others were there, calling for him. Octavia stood near the edge with water at her ankles as she urged him to hurry.

He threw his arms against the water, pulling himself forward with all his strength. He had never swum before, and the river creature released him into a deeper part where he couldn’t stand.

“It’s coming back.” One of them yelled. Monty couldn’t tell who. He tried to move faster, knowing if he couldn’t then he would die. His legs felt heavy, dragging him down as he tried to reach land.

“Octavia!”

Octavia all but dove back into the river once he was closer. Her hand took to his arm and tugged him to her. Her feet slipped on the undergrowth as she pulled, but never once did she let go of him.

The next set of hands belonged to Jasper and Finn, grabbing at them both. As Monty was pulled up a wave rolled over Octavia and him, the river creature narrowly missing the chance to pull them back in.

“Oh geez,” Jasper said, crouched down at Monty’s side in an instance. “Oh man, oh god, Monty, are you okay?”

Monty was nodding repeatedly, soaked to the bone and breathing hard. His chest felt like it might explode on him, and he still felt like he was being dragged through the river. He stretched out his arm until he was touching Octavia, fingertips poking until his palm met her shoulder. He patted her in gratitude, knowing full well that Octavia saved him. He breathlessly said “thank you” to her.

He could see a scrape of blood on her cheek. Her hair was pressed wildly against her face and neck, and she didn’t bother to fix it as she nodded back at him. Then Monty felt Jasper’s breath hot on his ear, and he was being hugged by him, and Monty could only summon the strength to bring one arm around Jasper’s back to return the favor.

“You’re bleeding.” Clarke said, and Monty wondered who she was talking to until Jasper pulled away. He saw where she was looking: his leg, which now bore a nice gash leading all the way up to his knee.

“It’s looks worse than it is,” He said with false bravado, gulping, “Right?”

“It’s not that deep,” Clarke reassured. “You’re lucky.” Wells handed her a shirt from the clothes’ pile—it was Jasper’s—and she ripped a line of fabric from it, tying it around Monty’s leg.

Now that the creature was gone, the pain set in. Clarke got what bleeding there was to stop, but Monty could tell already that it would hurt to stand on. His nose still ached as well.

_Great start to life on Earth_ , he thought, _great start_.

Where Clarke was crouched down in front of him, she slouched and dropped her shoulders, and she smiled in relief and sympathy.

“This’ll hold until we get to the mountain. How do you feel?” She asked him, and Monty paused. “Yeah. Sure, I’m good. I can make it.”

She didn’t offer to head back to camp. They were closer to Mount Weather than the dropship at this point. And he definitely didn’t want to be left behind.

Jasper helped him to his feet. The group got away from the shore, Wells still overlooking the water.

“Isn’t that thing a little too large for a river?” Finn asked. Monty had no clue just how big the creature was, only that its head alone seemed as long as his whole body. It was chilling to think they’d have to worry about that every time they passed a river.

“Apparently not.” Wells said. They retreated to where their clothes were piled and redressed. Jasper’s shirt hung an inch higher over his pants, but he smiled and tapped Monty’s shoulder when Monty tried to trade one of his own shirts with him.

“All right, we need to get to Mount Weather,” Clarke said in a firm voice, bringing the group’s attention to her. “We can still get there before it gets dark. Let’s move.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> there'll be a longer wait for the next chapter to come out. I don't have a schedule and honestly never will. but perfect chance to leave some feedback eh, tell me how I'm doing.  
> please?


	4. Beyond the Trees

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> there is character death in this chapter.

They found Mount Weather, and Jasper was dead at the base of it. Octavia had seen it happen right in front of her. The spear in the air before it hit, knowing too late where it would go before it got there.

“Look out!”

His body had already hit the ground, the spear’s head buried deep in his chest.

“J-Jasper?” Clarke’s voice cracked beside her. Octavia was frozen with her arms outstretched, as if she could’ve grabbed the spear before it hit him. His eyes were stuck open, bleary and Not Jasper. Octavia couldn’t look away. The terror was all over his face. Jasper had seen the spear too.

The others were yelling from the opposite side of the ravine. Octavia snapped back to her body, her heart hitting hard against her chest. She was reaching for Clarke automatically, fumbling for her and pulling her back.

“We have to go.” Octavia said, her voice sounding far away to her own ears. Clarke nodded and followed, and they were off the mountain as quickly as they arrived. It felt twice as long, jumping back into the water to get to the other side. Octavia took turns pulling Clarke along and being pulled along in turn, the need to escape fighting the need to turn back and get Jasper.

She pushed Clarke ahead of her for Wells and Finn to grab first. The side of the ravine was steep, and getting down to cross earlier had been a hassle. Clarke was being pulled up, and without thinking Octavia reached to push on Clarke boots, mud and rocks pressing into her palms as Clarke used the leverage to get back over the edge.

“Now you!” Finn said, reaching down for Octavia. She jumped up and caught his forearm, and his fingers dug back into hers. Wells reached further and grabbed the shoulder of her jacket, and together they heaved her up. She scrapped her feet on the steep edge and groaned as her stomach was dragged up along the dirt.

There was no time to look back anymore, and they all took to the forest. Octavia couldn’t wrap her mind around what just happened, though the image of the spear and Jasper keep replaying in her mind. Why didn’t she say something when she saw it in the air? Why wasn’t she able to push Jasper out of the way? Jasper, who was first down the ravine and the first to step onto the mountain. Who found the sign saying they made it to Mount Weather and was picking it up with glee to show it off to the rest of them.

They were all running as fast as they could, but it was a pace they couldn’t keep up. Just a few minutes in and Octavia felt her body hitting its limit, as much as she willed to ignore it and keep going.

“Was he dead?”

They had stopped. Octavia was bent over with hands on her knees, picking up her head to Monty staring between Clarke and herself. Streaks of tears stained his cheeks, and he was visibly shaking.

There was silence, and then, “yes” Clarke said, as disheveled as the rest of them.

Octavia tried to talk and catch her breath at the same time, “I couldn’t stop it. I saw—I saw it and… I’m sorry, Monty. I’m sorry.”

His eyes squeezed shut.

“It’s not your fault.” Wells said, leaning towards her. Her insides turned, but she nodded, a strange relief overtaking her guilt.

Finn was off to the side, lips pressed together and a faraway look to his eyes. It was the first time Octavia couldn’t see a smile on his face.

“The Ark couldn’t have known, right?” He voiced to them, “That they’re still people here?”

Octavia didn’t know what the Ark couldn’t know. It was beyond her, and yet she raced with thoughts of her own. The first being: could the people down here be aware that there were others in the sky above them?

“Let’s worry about that later.” Clarke said, regaining her composure. “We need to get out of here.”

Octavia was flustered, narrowing her eyes at Clarke. She didn’t know what she meant. There was no getting out. _Here_ was all around them.

“We’re not going to make it back to camp.” Wells said. They were too far out, and the sky above them was already losing light.

“We can’t go back to the mountain.” Finn said. “Whoever got Jasper is probably still there.”

“Or they could be following us.” Wells said. Finn turned his eyes on him and stared.

“Yeah?  And if they are what’re we supposed to do, fight them?”

“No, that’s not what I’m saying. But maybe we could talk to them.”

“Pretty sure they don’t want to talk with us.” Monty said, bringing a momentary quiet over the group. Wells shuffled his feet.

“Maybe not. But…”

“We can worry about that later.” Clarke said again. “Right now we need to focus on finding a safe place and bunker down for the night.”

It was decided. Octavia could only nod and follow as Clarke and Wells tried to lead them through the forest. She headed over to Monty’s side, not knowing what else to say. She remembered watching her mom die on the Ark before being taken to her new prison. It was different for Monty, sure, but it felt the same. She put a hand on his shoulder in what she hoped wasn’t as awkward as it felt. Monty didn’t smile, but he looked at Octavia and nodded solemnly.

“Let’s go.” She said.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'll be honest... not too happy with this one. there's a lot of things i could say about *why*, but it really boils down to this chapter does what I wanted it to, and I'm happy enough with it that I'm putting it up. 
> 
> THAT SAID if you see something you liked about it, please tell me.


End file.
